Twice as Bright: The Tale of Jalil Zavv
by CaptainNate21
Summary: Jabba is dead, and his criminal empire is in ruins. Who will pick up the pieces and become the new hot shot on Tatooine? Enter Jalil Zavv, a young, intelligent, yet brutal and bloodthirsty spice dealer from the streets of Mos Eisley. He's got a plan to be Tatooine's biggest kingpin, and he won't hesitate to kill anything that stands in his way.
1. Chapter 1

Twice As Bright: The Tale of Jalil Zavv

Chapter 1: Blasted to Oblivion

Mos Eisley, 4 Years After the Battle of Yavin

It was the late evening, and Tatooine's twin suns were just beginning to set. It was a grand sight, but it was the last thing on Dyrk Tannen's mind as he ran through the streets of Mos Eisley. Occasionally, he would crash through a fruit vendor, or knock over a fellow pedestrian, but he didn't care. His life was on the line, and a couple of angry pedestrians and a few loud curses were far more appealing than the gruesome fate he ran from.

_Stupid, stupid... _he thought as he sprinted down the street, _you just had to blow all your credits!_

Dyrk wasn't sure what he was thinking. Maybe that's because he wasn't thinking. He knew he owed his boss big time on a spice deal, but Chalmun's wasn't as tightly packed that day, so he went ahead and had a couple drinks. _Damn that Juri Juice and its addictive habits... _He blew all his credits! The credits he had been given by all of those spice addicts, the money that was to go to the big man...

Dyrk frantically searched for a way out. He knew his boss had men who could track him down any alleyway in the city, and probably any corner of the planet, but there had to be a way!

Then, from across the street, a short human in a gray uniform stepped out into the street. "Hey," he said, "Are you okay?"

"Officer!" Dyrk cried out. He quickly glanced down at the officer's nametag, which was posted over the left side of his chest,"Officer Dermul, I need your help! These... these men...!"

"Hold on, calm down, son!" Officer Dermul said as he eased the panicking man. "What men are after you?"

"They work for a spice dealer, Jalil Zavv. I owe him big time, and I know it's not exactly legal, officer, but I'd be more than willing to-"

"Wait a minute..." the officer interrupted, "Aren't you Dyrk Tannen?"

"Well, yeah... How did you know that?"

Dermul smiled, then drew his blaster. "Oh man!" he said with a laugh, "I don't believe my luck!"

"Officer, please, you don't understand!" Dyrk cried out desperately.

"No, I do understand. I understand Zavv's gonna pay big time for your head! You know what the MEPD pays? Next to nothing. How am I gonna pay rent with that kind of paycheck?"

Dyrk stared in horror as the officer clicked his blaster to stun. Dyrk tried to speak, but nothing could come out.

"I gotta make a living somehow..." Dermul said grimly, "Sometimes that means greasing little punks like you."

The officer then fired, sending a bright blue bolt right into Dyrk's abdomen. He collapsed onto the ground instantly, and gave a few short spasms before falling unconscious.

The officer gazed down at his prey, the defenseless pawn that Zavv wanted alive, so that he could kill him himself. The town had heard about the horrendous things that Zavv did to people who crossed him, and these stories didn't phase Dermul in any way as he hefted Dyrk onto his back and carried him down the street, towards the residence of Jalil Zavv. He knew he was carrying the man to his death, but that was the way of life in Mos Eisley, the choice of killing someone you've never met just to earn a few credits was an easy choice, and Dermul knew it.

Mos Eisley, Jalil Zavv's Residence, The Next Morning

Zavv's residence was a two story luxury home in the back end of Mos Eisley. It was rich in an elegant design that invoked envy in the other residents. The interior had a collection of narrow hallways that all led to the audience chamber on the top floor. The chamber was large enough to hold several dozen patrons, but on this particular day, it was just Zavv, his bodyguards, and Dyrk Tannen.

Zavv sat in the back of the room, on a small but beautiful throne-like chair. It was fashioned from the bones of some exotic off world creature, and given a very fine polish. Zavv himself was a tall, decently built, handsome man with short, dark hair and brown eyes. Though that was the end of his appeal. His gaze was colder than the frosty winds of Hoth, and he spoke in such a dark, intimidating manner that even a Gundark would find disturbing.

Zavv sighed as he listened to Dyrk's squeals of terror. He'd heard it all before, the pleas from a condemned man. He'd heard 'I have children!' and 'It won't happen again!' far too many times, to the point where it just got annoying. Dyrk had been begging for mercy for the better part of twenty minutes, and Zavv was getting sick of it. He looked over at his two Weequay bodyguards, who showed no signs of boredom.

"Enough, Dyrk, I'm not convinced." Jalil said coldly, "You know what happens to people when they cross me, right?"

"R... right..." Dyrk said.

"Well? What happens?"

"You kill them..."

"Well, not for the first offense. For the first one, I cut off one of your fingers, one of your choosing. So which will it be, Dyrk?"

Dyrk sat there, dumbfounded, like a confused dog. He held out his hand, then stuck out his ring finger.

Jalil laughed out loud. "I guess you won't be needing that one, huh?" he said as he got up and grabbed Dyrk's arm. He pulled out his vibroblade, lifted it above his head, and stopped. Dyrk shivered in fear, and Jalil began to feel empowered.

"Your Juri Juice days are over, Dyrk. Right?" Jalil asked quietly.

"Y-y-yes sir!" Dyrk spat out nervously.

Zavv stuck the blade back into its sheathe and let go of Dyrk's arm. "Don't make me regret letting you go with all of your fingers. Now get out of here."

Without a moment's hesitation, Dyrk sprang onto his heels and ran right out the doorway.

Zavv sighed and looked at his guards. "I should be back within an hour or two." he said as he headed out the door.

He stepped out of his two story luxury home and into the blistering heat of Mos Eisley. As he walked through the markets and past the countless shops on his way to the meeting, he was curious as to what this meeting was about. Some of friendlier local spice dealers had requested that Zavv meet up with them to discuss some of the recent troubling events.

Zavv knew that one of the topics would be about the recent Imperial entanglements. Zavv was a big spice dealer, so the police didn't pose a threat to him, but his forces weren't as big as Jabba's, so he couldn't fight off the Empire. The Imperials had been cracking down on dealers in Mos Espa and Bestine, and even some of Zavv's associates had been caught. Of course, Zavv never allowed them to live long enough to tell the Imps anything important, but this whole thing meant that his business was at risk.

There were three Imperial investigators on the planet, well, three that he knew of. The closest one was Lieutenant Atrox, a brilliant officer who graduated at the top of his class on Carida. Atrox was the one who arrested Zavv's associates, and the only thing that kept Atrox alive was that he was smart. He always had a hiding place, some place even Zavv couldn't track him. Though, even if he could, killing an Imperial officer was a big deal, so it probably wasn't even worth it. Zavv was bloodthristy, but he wasn't crazy.

Zavv entered Chalmun's Cantina, and was greeted by the musty smell of dozens of different species from a hundred worlds. He recognized a few aliens, the ghoulish Givin, the shadowy Defel, and the short, talkative Jawas, and he even saw a few species he was not familiar with. But it didn't matter to him, as spotted his fellow spice dealers sitting at a table in the back corner of the cantina. They glanced up at him and beckoned for him to join.

There were three of them there. There was Thomas, a tall, bearded man with blonde hair. He and Jalil went way back, as they grew up together in the streets, scoring spice for some of the bigger dealers. If there was anyone on Tatooine he could trust, it was Thomas. There was also Breen, a moody Rodian with a high pitched, raspy voice. Finally, there was Hem Dazon, a short, yellow eyed Arcona who was addicted to multiple things, made clear by the constant trembling in his hands. These three were Zavv's spice buddies, the guys who kept him somewhat connected to the bigger cities on Tatooine and would back him up if he had troubles with the law or hostile dealers. Zavv almost considered them to be friends. Almost.

"Jalil, you made it!" Thomas said gleefully as he shook hands with Zavv.

"Of course I did, how could I refuse free drinks?" he said with a chuckle as he sat down in the middle of the group.

"How've you been, man?" Breen asked.

"Oh, well, things are alright, I guess." Jalil said, "We nabbed Dyrk just the other day, and I don't think he'll ever drink Juri Juice again!"

"He was a damn fool. Mos Eisley's gonna be a much better place without his drunkenness." Thomas said, "Dazon, go get our drinks, would ya?"

Dazon got up from his seat and headed off to the bartender.

"Oh, I never even asked you what you wanted..." Thomas said, clearly embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, I always get the same thing, Dazon knows it." Jalil said, "Besides, I'm far more interested in business. What brings us here today?"

Thomas and Breen glanced at each other, surprised.

Breen spoke up first. "You mean you haven't heard the news? Jabba's dead, man."

An icy shiver went through Zavv's spine, but he didn't show it. "Well it's about time!" he said with a laugh, "Who killed him?"

"He was iced by some Jedi yesterday," Thomas said, "It was a mess. The guy pulled out a lightsaber and started slicing everyone up. He blew up Jabba's sail barge with everyone on it, the big man and all of his boys."

Jalil began laughing hysterically at the thought of the scene. He wished he could have been there to see the whole thing. "This is great! Do you know what this means?" he asked. Thomas and Breen stared at him in anticipation. "It means we-"

"Here you go, guys!" Dazon said as he handed the men their drinks, "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"It's alright, I wanted you here to hear this..." Jalil said, "So, Jabba's bit the dust, now someone needs to take his place. It has to be us!"

"You're crazy!" Breen said in a hushed tone, "Black Sun is gonna be the one to do that!"

"I don't think so. Guys, I've been planning this sort of thing for years now... I've been waiting for that overgrown pile of sludge to die, and I've been putting together a scheme."

Dazon took a deep sip from his drink, then slammed it down, his hands trembling violently. "Oh yeah? Lay it on us."

"We need to eliminate the competition. We're going to murder the other spice dealers. They all have to die..." Zavv said coldly, "Also, we recruit the enemies of the Hutts. We pay them with the credits from the dealers we kill."

"How will we get their credits?" Thomas asked.

"We torture them until they hand over their accounts. I've done it before, it's easy." Jalil said, "So, after we've got a good thing going, with the dead competition and a good assortment of goons on our side, we begin expanding our business. We can take over the planet, control the entire spice trade, especially Jabba's former territory."

"But we don't know the first thing about Jabba's territory!" Dazon said, "The only ones who have that kind of info are the Hutts... and maybe the Empire."

"Then we get the Empire's number!" Zavv said.

"Yeah, great idea, man, let's just walk up to an Imperial officer and ask him for info on Jabba's territory. Yeah, I can see that working out well." Breen said cynically.

"Breen, come on, this part of the galaxy thrives off bribery! How do you think we caught Dyrk? All it took was a quick and easy bribe, easy as that. Well, anyway, first thing's first, we kill the other dealers. Thomas, you're the one with the spies. Tell them to find out where the other dealers live, then I'll take care of the rest."

"Jalil, we really need to think this through before we make a big decision like that. Is this plan really going to work?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, you'll have to trust me on this one. I've thought it through already."

"Okay," Breen said, "so what do we do after the other dealers are dead? No offense, but we can't run a criminal empire in your place. It's not fortified, it's in a spot where anyone could walk up to it and start trouble, and the place is way too small."

"Well, what's going on at Jabba's Palace?" Jalil asked.

Thomas began to speak. "It's-"

He was interrupted by a random patron stumbling over to their table. The patron was a pale, skeletal looking human male, with his eyes seemingly buried deep in his skull.

"Hey, Dazon..." he said in a slurred tone, "Y'got any 'o that good stuff? You know... the spice..."

"Not now, Szam, we're really busy..." Dazon said calmly.

The man snorted and slammed his fists down on the table. "I KNOWS YOU GOTS IT ON YA! YOU ALWAYS DO!" he shouted furiously.

His shouting drew the attention of the other patrons, and unwanted attention was something Jalil really didn't like.

"Dazon..." Jalil growled, "get your disgusting, tweaker friend out of here, now..."

"What'd you call me?" the man asked as he turned to Jalil, "You'd better watch yer tone, boy, or I'm gonna sock ya in the jaw-"

Without warning, Jalil kicked his foot up, knocking the table over and spilling its contents all over the inebriated spice head. The cold, alcoholic drinks stained the man's clothes, and Jalil knew exactly what to do. He quickly drew his blaster with blurring speed and fired, striking the addict in the chest. The alcohol on his clothes ignited, ingulfing him in an intense inferno. The nearby patrons immediately got up and moved to the other side of the bar as the dying man stumbled to the ground and crashed into a table. The bartender quickly sprayed the corpse down before it could catch the whole building on fire. When the body was finally free of flames, the entire bar was dead silent, the music stopped playing, and Jalil's friends looked at him with looks of horror, except Dazon, who was probably too inebriated to comprehend the situation.

"Damn it, Zavv, you just killed one of my customers!" Dazon said, more annoyed than disturbed.

"He had his chance to leave with his life." Jalil stated coldly.

The bartender looked over at Zavv, and began to say something, but Zavv glared back at him, with a look that would scare the wits out of anything with a few brain cells. The bartender looked away and went back to his business.

"Anyway..." Jalil said, clearly not fazed by what had just occurred, "let's meet up again in two days." he looked over at Thomas, "Do you think you'll have the locations of those dealer's homes by then?"

"Well, yeah, probably..." Thomas stuttured nervously.

"Okay, then after that, we can move on. Thanks for the drinks, boys, see you again later."

Jalil began to walk out, then caught his foot on the corpse of the man he had just murdered. His dead eyes glared up at him, and Jalil made eye contact for just a moment before he looked up at the bartender. "You should clean this up, the heat's only gonna make the smell worse."

The bartender still remained silent, so Jalil walked out of the bar and began walking back to his home. The streets of Mos Eisley were always packed with pedestrians, and an occasional landspeeder, and today was no exception. The sounds of engines, laughter, alien languages, shouts, and footsteps was almost deafening, though you tend to get used to that sort of thing.

_The almighty Jabba is now a smoldering pile of ashes, _Jalil thought, _and Jabba's no phoenix. I don't care what I have to do to take his place._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Territorial Dispute

Not even a full minute after Zavv left the cantina, a loud crash rang out behind him. He spun around to see a swoop rider busting through a fruit stand, sending wooden splinters and ripe fruits into the air. The rider wasn't alone, most swoop riders weren't. This one was followed by three other swoop riders, who cackled loudly and fired off a few rounds into the crowd of pedestrians. The swoop riders were lousy shots, as they fired from the hip and never cared to aim at anything in particular, but some of their shots made their mark, and managed to hit a few people.

This sort of thing was very unusual in Mos Eisley. This only happened during gang conflicts, but there were none as far as Zavv knew. This had to be related to Jabba's death. Zavv wasn't sure who the swoop riders were affiliated with, but he knew they weren't his men, so they were his enemies. He whipped out his sidearm and took aim. The riders were a good fifty meters ahead, so he had time to aim carefully.

He fired, striking one of the gangsters in the shoulder, tossing him off his ride. The other swoop riders noticed this and tried to find the source of the shot. Zavv took advantage of the confusion and fired at the closest rider, hitting him square in the chest. The rider swerved into a building and collided with it, which promptly ignited his ride and engulfed the wreckage and corpse in a scorching heat.

_Two down, two to go... _Zavv thought confidently.

The other two riders spotted Zavv and slowed down to aim at him. Thinking quickly, Zavv turned around and pushed over a fruit stand, then ducked behind it. The two remaining bikers shot at Zavv, but his cover stopped the blaster marks before they could hit him. Zavv fired back twice, hitting one of the biker's rides. Their vehicle spun out of control and flung the rider into a stone wall at a speed that surely shattered every bone in his body.

The last rider realized the futility of trying to take down his target, and decided to bail out. He did a quick U-turn and sped away before Zavv could finish him off. _No matter, _Zavv thought, _he'll just head back to his boss and tell him how his entire gang was taken down by a lone spice dealer. I can see that going over well with the big cheese behind this operation._

Jalil sighed and began to continue heading home, but he heard the the shrieks of one of the bikers, the first one he had shot in the shoulder. He calmly walked over to where he heard the cries, where a crowd was gathering around him, spitting on him and kicking him. Jalil shoved the angry pedestrians out of the way and saw the wounded biker. The man was clutching his wound in agony, and was covered in spit and bruises from the kicks he received. He looked up at Zavv in horror, but Zavv wasn't interested in anymore games. He kneeled over the wounded swoop rider and kept his blaster out in plain sight.

"I'm guessing you know who I am." Zavv began. The biker nodded.

"Then I'm guessing you and your buddies came here to kill me. Who do you work for?" Zavv asked.

"We work alone!" The biker foolishly responded.

Zavv frowned and thumbed his blaster to its lowest power output. He aimed it at the man's wounded shoulder and fired again. The new wound opened the older one even wider, exposing charred bone and tissue. The crowd began to back up in horror, though they stayed close to watch the interrogation. The man screamed in pain, and Zavv was getting impatient.

"Do you think I was born yesterday? Who do you work for? Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

The wounded swoop rider gritted his teeth and hissed in pain as he struggled to speak."Tucker!" the man managed to say, "Egon Tucker!"

Egon Tucker was one of the dealers in Mos Eisley that Zavv wasn't too familiar with. He'd only heard the name tossed around a few times, so he probably wasn't a very important dealer, though he'd have to be bold to send out a gang of swoop bikers to terrorize the residents of Mos Eisley. Zavv was lucky to have been out of plain sight when the shooting began. These bikers were probably out to kill him personally, and probably his associates. So Egon Tucker had the same idea as Zavv. _Maybe great minds truly do think alike, _Zavv thought as he wondered who Tucker was.

He looked down at the biker's uniform, and spotted an insignia on his right sleeve. It depicted a Dianoga strangling the head of a Hutt. No doubt some clever joke thought up by this man's boss, but he thought nothing of it.

"I see, thank you for your cooperation." Zavv said as he got up, "I am a man of my word, I will spare your life. However, I don't think this crowd would have any qualms about killing you, so I'll let them do it for me." he said with a smile as he stood up and looked around at the crowd. "You can have him now." he said as he continued walking his usual route.

From behind him, he could hear the blood-curdling screams of the biker as his limbs were torn from their sockets. This was a really bad part of Mos Eisley, and Zavv knew that the crowd would take their time in pulverizing the wounded biker, and it didn't faze him in the least. Egon Tucker would, of course, be on Jalil's list of dealers who would have to be killed, so this little incident with the swoop bikers would be the prelude to the massacre that would soon unfold.

Zavv sat on his throne, deep in thought. Jabba had been dead for nearly 48 hours, and already Mos Eisley was becoming increasingly unstable. Zavv had to act fast if he wanted to control the city, and eventually, the rest of the planet. Zavv would have killed these dealers earlier, but there would have been heavy retaliation from the Hutts, as most of the hostile dealers were friends with them. But with the death of the planet's most notorious Hutt, these spice punks would have nobody to turn to when things go south.

Jalil had requested the presence of assassins who were marked for death by the Hutts. One of them was the Anzat named Dannik Jerriko, a local legend in this part of town. Jalil did a little research and found that Jerriko was after Han Solo, and because Dannik's kind were almost vampire-like, he desired to kill and probably devour Solo. But when Jabba was killed, allowing Solo to escape, Jerriko went into a fit of rage and murdered all of the residents of the palace. It didn't take long for a death mark to be placed on his head, and he was trapped on the planet when his docked ship was destroyed by some bounty hunters. He had nowhere to run, but Zavv offered a place to hide. He had told his associates to make sure that Jerriko would receive the invitation somehow.

_Jerriko would be a fool not to accept the offer... _Jalil thought to himself.

There were other matters to worry about as well. Every major criminal kingpin had a complex trade route they could use for smuggling, and since Zavv hated the Hutts, he only had one other faction to turn to... the Empire. It seemed impossible to him, but he thought deeply on the matter, and it plagued him for hours.

Then, a constant beeping noise emitted through Zavv's holopad. He activated it, and there was the list of the locations of all the hostile spice dealers. Thomas' spies were quite reliable, and Zavv trusted him with these names, seven in all. Excellent. Seven was a nice, small number, one that was easy to work with when dealing with several simultaneous hits.

"Sir," the intercom droid blasted, "Visitor, unidentified humanoid, approximately 1.8 meters with-"

"Show me." Zavv interrupted. Droids were prone to rambling, and Zavv knew this all too well. The display screen on the wall next to the throne showed the image of a slender figure with a hideous face, a bulbous nose, small, bat-like eyes, messy hair, and a cold presence. Jalil knew this was the legendary Anzati assassin he had heard about.

"Let him in." Zavv said, "Guards, be ready for anything, this guy's a psycho."

He knew what the guards were thinking. _A psycho? Then why are you letting him in here? _But he knew they would never speak up, but it was a valid point. Zavv only wanted to appear polite, even to death marked assassins.

_Besides, _Jalil thought, _I can handle him if it comes to that._

Dannik appeared from the threshold of the doorway and entered the throne chamber. Zavv didn't know what to think of him. On one hand, the Anzat's slender figure was kind of disappointing, and Zavv wasn't sure how the assassin got the job done like that. On the other hand, the assassin had a cold, menacing look to him, like he could spring out at any moment and attack. Maybe the trick was all in intimidating the victim, but with Jerriko's track record, who was Zavv to question him?

"Hello, Mr. Jerriko. Welcome to my home." Zavv said politely, "Please forgive me, if I'd known you'd be coming here so soon, I would have done a better job cleaning up that puddle of blood right there." he said, even though that was hardly the case. _Maybe if he sees that I'm willing to kill him right here, right now, in my own throne room, he'll be more respectful..._

"I don't mind it." said Dannik, in his sophisticated yet wretched voice, "You have something to offer me?"

"Yes, of course. I'm willing to offer you a second chance. I will hire you to be my personal assassin, I will pay you to successfully track down anyone I ask you to find. All I ask is that you kill them, what you do with them after that is entirely your business. For twenty thousand credits, I-"

"Wait. Twenty thousand is not nearly enough." Dannik said quickly, "I am worth far more than that."

"Not anymore, vampire." Zavv said menacingly, "You're not the big hot shot you used to be. I know all about your death mark, when you lost your cool and killed all of Jabba's Patrons at the Palace. I also know about your method of killing those who did not pay you well enough. The reason I'm paying you twenty thousand is because you have no other choice. If you kill me and run off, who will hire you? Face it, Jerriko, I'm your second and last chance. You can't afford to kill me or look for work elsewhere. So you will take the twenty thousand that I hand to you, or you can take your chances with the Hutts. Trust me, I have my own contacts, and they **will **track you down, no matter what back corner of the galaxy you hide in. So what'll it be, Jerriko?"

The Anzati paused for a moment to consider. "What other choice do I have? I will accept the twenty thousand credits."

"That's good, I'm glad you're being civil about this. If you successfully complete your first job, maybe I'll think about raising your salary."

"What will my first job be?" Dannik asked.

Jalil activated his holopad, showing all the names of the dealers, seven in total. "These fiends are my rival dealers. They must be dealt with. I need them all dead by sunset tomorrow. Their addresses are on the display as well. Can you handle it?"

"Of course, sir."

"Take note of these addresses, I want you out on the hunt as soon as possible. I can supply you with equipment if you need it."

"That won't be necessary, sir." Jerriko said with a polite bow. He then exited the throne room and made his way outside.

_By tomorrow evening, _Jalil thought, _the first step will be complete._

It was a plan that was years in the making. Every day since he first became a spice dealer, he dreamed of the fruition of a plan that would put him on top of the whole spice market. Now, those dreams were becoming a reality...

When sunset came the next day, Zavv listened closely to the town chatter that his associates provided to him. Four of the dealers were murdered in their sleep last night, two were dragged into alleys and killed, and one was killed by a thermal detonator in his personal hangar. So Jerriko had indeed done his job, and he did it well. As far as Zavv knew, nobody suspected the Anzati. Jerriko was a worthy investment, and Zavv intended on keeping the vampire around. As soon as the accountants of the rival dealers were tracked down, Zavv would harvest their credits and use that money to pay off Jerriko and anyone else he felt deserved to be paid.

After about the second or third day after the dealers were killed, Jalil felt a surge of power knowing that he was currently the biggest spice dealer in the Mos Eisley area, and sooner or later, he intended on controlling the rest of the planet. The spice market was booming, and Zavv wanted to control the monopoly.

One thing, however, troubled Jalil. Egon Tucker was not on the list that Thomas provided him, the one with the seven dealers on it. Maybe Egon wasn't a spice dealer, but a different kind of criminal altogether. However, he knew he'd have to take care of him anyway. Someone with the audacity to send swoop bikers as terrorists was not to be taken lightly, at least, not when they were an enemy. Jalil made sure to give his associates a little homework regarding Egon, but they couldn't come up with anything. The man simply didn't exist, as far as they knew. Zavv believed the swoop biker, he could see the terror in the man's eyes, the look a man has when he believes he's about to die. That's not usually a time when people lie, so Zavv took the man's word for it, but now even he was starting to have doubts.

Zavv's personal comlink began sounding off, and he picked it up quickly.

"Yes?" he said.

"Jalil, you're not gonna believe this..." said the voice of Thomas. By his tone of voice, he sounded deeply disturbed and concerned. "The Empire has fallen."

"What? You're kidding, right?" Zavv asked.

"I'm completely serious. The Emperor and that lap dog Vader were killed, and the Rebels have taken over."

Jalil sat there quietly for a few moments to let it sink in. First, the almighty Jabba was murdered, allowing Zavv to do what was necessary for power. Now the Empire, the one faction that stood in his path of power, was now gone. Fate was truly offering its hand to Zavv. He had to act fast, and he knew exactly what to do.

"When did the Rebels win?" Zavv asked eagerly.

"Just a few hours ago, why?" Thomas asked.

"Because I think we've just been given the chance of a lifetime. With the Empire out of the way, we have our chance. There's one man here on Tatooine with the knowledge on complex spice routes, and we have to act fast. If he hasn't left already, I have a feeling he won't be around much longer."

"Who is it?" Thomas asked quickly, seeing the urgency.

"Lieutenant Atrox."

"You mean that pig that's been jailing all of those spice dealers lately?" Thomas asked questioningly.

"Just trust me on this one. Now that the Empire's gone, I imagine Atrox is gonna have a hit on his head, because now nobody's gonna be able to jail his killer. I want you to get into contact with Thomas, have his men track down Atrox right this minute, whatever it takes, I don't care. Then, tell them to watch the man, and wait for me. I want to make a personal appearance with our new friend."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Out of the Frying Pan**

_How could it have all gone so wrong? _Officer Atrox wondered as he downed his drink. His uniform was dirty and not up to Imperial Code at all, and his hat was missing, revealing a messy, wild cluster of graying hair. Just hours ago, the Emperor and the bulk of the Imperial Navy were destroyed by the Rebels. As if that wasn't bad enough, all of the Imperial ships in the area left the system. He was stranded on this planet, in a community that wanted him dead. He was surely going to die any time soon, so he figured he might as well die with a good drink in his system.

Not that Mos Eisley offered good drinks, but Atrox wasn't picky. He wanted to get this whole dying business over with quickly, and he knew wearing his Imperial uniform would speed that process up, so that's just what he did. He figured any minute now, a gun-slinging bounty hunter would stroll in and give him a fresh blaster mark in the back of the head.

Some of the cantina patrons looked over at the Lieutenant occassionally and gossiped quietly amongst themselves, to which Atrox would glare back, no matter how big the patron was.

"Hey, buddy," the bartender began, "Look, I'm no fan of the Imps, but if I were you, I'd high tail it outta here. You know what's gonna happen to you if these goons get ahold of you?"

"Thanks for the advice, citizen, I already know what's going to happen." Atrox said with a smile. He wasn't drunk yet, or even buzzed, so he knew what he was saying. He didn't even know if he was going to make it far enough to feel the drink's effects.

He did, however, feel a slight, creeping feeling in the back of his head, like he was being watched intensely. He knew about the looks he was getting, but something told him that his killer had spotted him. He felt it deep in the pit of his stomach, and now he wasn't so sure if this whole plan was a good idea. Why did death have to be so damn scary?

Atrox turned around and spotted a tall, intimidating Gotal standing there behind him. This alien had a chipped horn, two big, red eyes, and a mouth full of jagged teeth. He held a blaster out at arms length, and he aimed it right at Atrox. Though the Lieutenant was frightened, he did his best to appear noble.

"Well, are you gonna do it, or what?" he said bravely.

The Gotal smirked an ugly grin, and closed one of his eyes, lining up his shot with the other. _So this is it, eh? _Atrox thought to himself, _I always imagined a far more appealing death. Like sacrificing myself to stop a terrorist, or staying behind to fight off hordes of Rebels, but this? Being shot like a dog? Well, it'll have to do..._

Just then, a sharp, metallic shriek of a vibroblade pierced the air in the cantina. The Gotal tried to turn, but was cut short when the hand holding his blaster was sliced right off. Dark red blood splattered onto the Gotal's body and onto the floor, and the wounded alien shrieked in horror and fell to the ground. A cloaked figure stood above the Gotal, but didn't pay it any attention, and instead focused on Atrox. The cantina went dead silent, and a crowd began to form around the three individuals.

The figure responsible for the rescue removed his hood, revealing a young, striking man with eerily cold eyes. He holstered his vibroblade, and continued looking at Atrox as if he was about to say something.

Before the Lieutenant could ask anything, the Gotal coughed up a question of his own.

"Say... you're with the Empire, aren't you?" he asked his attacker, "Well... go ahead, arrest me, I'm-"

Without a word or a moment's hesitation, the attacker pulled out a blaster and shot the Gotal in the face. The crowd gasped, and one patron shrieked and ran to the back of the cantina.

"Who are you?" Atrox asked his savior.

"I'm Jalil Zavv. You probably already know the name."

"Oh yes, I did a lot of research on you. I figured you'd be trying to kill me, not rescue me. Why'd you do that?"

"I'd rather discuss that somewhere more private." Jalil said as he looked around at the crowd, "I don't exactly trust these folks. In fact, duck."

"What?" Atrox asked.

"You heard me, duck!" he shouted as he dove to the floor. As soon as Atrox did the same, blaster fire erupted from seemingly all sides. The screams of the patrons filled the air as well, but after only a few seconds, they began to die down. After maybe fifteen seconds of straight blaster fire, the shooting stopped, and everything was quiet again.

When the Lieutenant looked up again, he saw that everyone in the cantina had been slaughtered, save for Jalil, himself, and three gunmen, who must have been in the cantina the whole time, but with their guns concealed. Bodies were in heaps all around the cantina, with smoke rising off the scorch marks on their corpses.

"Fine job gentlemen," Jalil said as he got up to his feet, "Go around the bar and finish off any survivors you find."

"Zavv, what have you done?! You're a mass murderer!" Atrox shrieked.

"Shut up and take a cloak." Jalil said as he tossed the officer a brown robe, "Wear this, and keep your face covered until we reach my compound. Nobody can know about our partnership. Nobody. Follow my lead."

Jalil headed out the entrance of the cantina, and Atrox followed. _What have I gotten myself into? I went into that bar accepting death, but I may have just gotten myself into something worse!_

The two walked side by side, both concealed in their individual robes, as they walked past crowds of pedestrians that were busy watching for any activity in the cantina, probably out of morbid curiosity. Atrox knew this was a bad part of town, full of murderers and rapists, but not all of the residents were evil like that. He felt bad for the innocents who were caught in the crossfire, and he knew Zavv was a bad person, but he resented him now more than ever. _What kind of monster murders dozens of innocents without a moment's hesitation?_

After a few minutes of walking, the two reached the compound. Aside from the pleasant scent of freshly burned candles, the place was eerily quiet and unsettling. Atrox knew he was in the den of one of the most dangerous criminals on Tatooine.

"You can take off your disguise now, Lieutenant." Zavv said as he sat down at his throne. "We have much to discuss."

Atrox pulled up a chair and sat down uneasily in front of Zavv. "First off, why did you kill those people back there?"

"Loose lips sink ships. If even one of them decided to speak about witnessing our new partnership, pretty soon the whole town would be in on it, and then everyone who comes by this desolate planet. I don't want people knowing I'm working with an Imp. Not only that, but they would surely send bounty hunters to kill you and destroy my business. The deaths of the cantina patrons are regretable, but a necessary evil to preserve our business."

"You say that as if life is just another utility to you." Atrox stated.

"That's because it is." Zavv said coldly, "I don't care about a couple of meaningless lives that threaten to interrupt my business. Anyone who would is a fool."

Atrox began to see that continuing this conversation was pointless. "Why did you choose me?" he asked.

"You've been on our tails for a long time, and I imagine you've also been trailing the Hutts too. Surely you know something about the spice routes around here, what with all of the arrests and crackdowns you've been making."

Zavv was smarter than Atrox had previously thought. Maybe, somewhere in that sick, twisted head of his, there was a hint of intelligence after all.

"Yes, I know a thing or two about them," Atrox admitted, "You're interested in them, aren't you?"

"Yes, and you're going to tell me everything you know. We have a lot of work to do together." Zavv said as he stood up and walked over to Atrox, "We're partners now."

Atrox recoiled in disgust, to which Zavv huffed at in amusement. "Partners? With you? What makes you think I'd agree to such a thing?"

"You're out of work. The Empire has fallen, and your comrades have abandoned you here. You're stuck on a planet full of criminals who want you dead. I am not one of them."

"What if I found a way off this rock?" Atrox asked.

Just as he said this, a tall, slender figure stepped out from the shadows of the throne room. He wore a olive jumpsuit and had the basic appearance of a human being, except for a pair of tentacles that protruded out of pockets under his nose. The tendrils flickered around and seemed to be attracted to Atrox, which made him shudder in horror.

Zavv smiled at this sign of fear. "I assure you, my friend here would find you, and he would have absolutely no qualms about feasting on you. But, if you stay here, with my new empire, you will be safe, and handsomely rewarded."

Atrox sighed deeply and hung his head low. He knew Zavv was right. Even if he could somehow manage to avoid the hitmen in the streets, and somehow find reliable transportation out of the Tatooine system, he'd still have quite the bounty on his head, and he would be hunted down and killed. But how had it come to this? The top graduate of Carida, the proudest officer in the Empire, now a lap dog to a spice trader.

"I accept." he said shamefully. The bounty hunter ducked back into the shadows, satisfied with this answer.

"Good, that makes this whole recruitment thing a little bit less painful." Zavv said as he went back to his throne. "You're going to give me any and all information regarding the spice routes formerly controlled by Jabba the Hutt. In fact, give me any information regarding any major organized criminal activity on the planet. I'm talking Hutts, Black Sun, and a man named Egon Tucker."

"Egon Tucker? That name sounds familiar." Atrox said curiously.

"He's been a thorn in my side for some time now. I don't think he's a spice dealer. He may be involved in arms dealing, or possibly slave trading. He is my first priority right now, and you will get me the information I want. Don't fail me, Lieutenant. My assistant here will show you to your room."

A brutish Weequay entered the throne room and stared at Atrox. Not wanting to keep this thing waiting, the Lieutenant followed the alien down the stairs and into the basement.

"If you want me to do my research, I need my belongings. I have copies of Imperial records in my apartment." Atrox said as he followed the alien.

The Weequay glanced back at him, nodded, then went back to walking. Atrox was aware of the general stupidity of the Weequay species, and he wasn't sure if he should put his faith in the hands of one. When they reached the basement, it was dark and musty, but Atrox wasn't complaining. The Weequay stopped and opened up one of the doors, which creaked open, revealing an acceptable room. There was a barred window, a cold, tile floor, and a bed that was certainly better than he expected it to be.

"This will have to do for now, until we move to a more suitable location." the Weequay said as he left Atrox alone and headed back upstairs.

The Lieutenant sat down on his bed and covered his face in his hands. Surely, this was all a dream. The Empire could never have fallen, and he could never have been a part of a criminal empire. But no matter how hard he rubbed debris from his eyes and tried to see clearly, nothing seemed to change. This was all really happening.

He didn't want to lay down, he was far too shaken to sleep. His life, as he knew it, was over, and so were the lives of dozens of cantina patrons that Jalil slaughtered without hesitation. Jalil had a reputation for having no concept of morality when it comes to murder, and he probably didn't even understand the difference between sentient beings and material objects. He probably saw killing a sentient being as no different than selling a weapon to a dealer. To Zavv, it was something that had to be done, and now Atrox was in his lair, at the mercy of a man who would see no issue in killing him at a moment's notice. How could Atrox sleep, knowing this? Instead, he stared out the barred window, which showed the cold, Tatooine night sky, and the lights of Mos Eisley just outside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Top Dog**

It didn't take long for Thomas' spies to find Jabba's accountants. They hadn't bothered to use fake identities at the spaceports, which made it a breeze to capture them. In total, three of them were brought to Zavv, and he was getting impatient. For the past two hours, they'd been hesitant to give away any information regarding the bank accounts of Jabba and his associates. Time was not on Jalil's side, and he needed those accounts soon before they could be claimed.

The three accountants were bound with their arms behind their backs and blindfolds put over their eyes, and they were all placed side by side on their knees. Zavv paced back and forth in front of them, while his Weequay bodyguards stood by the entrance as usual, and Dannik Jerriko behind the accountants, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Also present was Dyrk Tannen. He had shown improvement over the past few days, as he went on spying missions with Thomas, and was the one who captured Mosep Binneed. Zavv saw that Dyrk's Juri Juice habits were gone, at least they couldn't be seen on the outside, and that was enough for him. It seemed Zavv had made the right decision in sparing young Dyrk.

The first accountant was Mosep Binneed, an ugly Nimbanel with a cowardly vibe. His walrus-esque appearance was made worse by his long, white fu manchu. He was accompanied by his assistant, the female Ishi Tib named Shasa Tiel, who was captured only hours after Mosep. Shasa was relatively new to the world of crime, and probably didn't know a whole lot about Jabba's information, but it didn't hurt to capture her.

The last accountant was Saelt Marae, a Yarkora who was literally several centuries old. His face resembled that of a yak, and he was a very cunning character. Before he was captured, he and one of Jabba's bodyguards stole all of the Hutt's financial records and fled, with Zavv's men hot on their tails. The bodyguard was killed in the firefight, and Saelt was badly wounded with a blaster wound to the gut. Zavv hoped this injury would come in handy during the interrogation.

"I grow tired of asking, Saelt," Zavv said, "Where did you stash the records?"

"I can't give out that kind of information. Not for free, at least." he said in a sly manner.

Zavv huffed in genuine amusement. "Take off their blindfolds." he said.

Dyrk, being the closest one, abliged, and removed the blindfolds from the three accountants. They looked around anxiously, then turned to Saelt Marae, almost in disbelief that he was captured.

"I wanted you all to see this." Zavv said as he pulled out his vibroblade.

He snatched Saelt's hand and slashed across his palm, leaving a gaping hole right across it. Saelt shouted in pain, and the other accountants recoiled as if they themselves could feel the wound as well.

"Is that price high enough for you?" Zavv asked as he leaned down in Saelt's face.

"Not nearly enough." Saelt said boldly.

Zavv looked up at Dyrk, who had been called here to prove himself as a servant of Zavv's new empire. Dyrk nodded and took out an energy whip. Electricity surged through the weapon, and with all his might, Dyrk swung it at Saelt. The whip cracked against his back, inflicting incredible pain and even knocking him to the ground. Zavv grabbed the other two accounts and pulled them away so they wouldn't be struck as well. Not yet, anyway.

Dyrk continued whipping the injured Yarkora in the face and chest, leaving horrible burns and bloody slashes all over. Zavv noticed that each time Dyrk struck Saelt, there was passion in each blow, as if he enjoyed it. He rather reminded Zavv of himself in that sense. By now, the Yarkora was on the floor, shouting in agony, and it was time to stop. Zavv waved off the happy-go-lucky torturer, who went back to his spot, satisfied with the way things went.

"How about now?" Zavv asked.

Saelt spat blood onto Jalil's boot. "You call that torture?" he said.

Zavv stood back up and glared at him. He knew Saelt was tough, but not this tough. He couldn't kill him, but Saelt didn't know that.

"Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but you give me no other choice..." Zavv glanced over at the back corner, "Dannik." He said as he pointed to Shasa Tiel.

Before Shasa could turn around or even wonder what was going to happen, she was tackled to the ground in an instant. She let out a terrifying shriek before being immediately silenced by Dannik. He forcefully turned her around and glared into her eyes hypnotically, effectively freezing her. His tendrils left their pockets and shot through Shasa's nose, right into her brain, killing her instantly. Her eyes rolled around to the back of her head, and her limbs fell limp. The remaining two accountants screamed in horror as they watched Dannik suck the life right out of Shasa, and listened in terror as he loudly indulged in her brain soup. Zavv himself laughed at the little show Dannik was presenting, and at the reactions the two accountants were giving. He knew he had won, and they would give him any information he wanted. It made him feel alive.

As Dannik was finishing up his meal, Zavv turned to the two frightened prisoners. "So, Saelt, about those records." he said proudly.

"They're in a town house in Bestine. You know the old brothel by Fortuna's diner? The records are in there, in an old computer." he said quickly.

"You see? Now how hard was that? You made me have to go and kill poor Shasa." he said in a sarcastic manner, "Well, the good news is that I won't be killing you two. Guards, stick them in the basement until I find a use for them. Dyrk, go to Thomas and tell him to send his spies to Bestine to collect those records."

Dyrk bowed and began to head out, but Zavv stopped him.

"Wait. Dyrk, I'm really impressed with your progress. Torture is a good method of rehabilitation for you, you'll be kicking that juri juice habit in no time."

"Thank you, sir, it's an honor." Dyrk said as he bowed once more, then headed out quickly.

The Weequay guards lifted the two trembling accountants to their feet and dragged them to the lower levels. Dannik rose back to his feet and ducked back into the shadows of the throne room. Shasa's corpse remained limp and cold, and Zavv would have to dispose of it soon.

Three of Zavv's men entered the throne room with several packed suitcases. They laid them down and bowed to him.

"These are Lieutenant Atrox's belongings. The Imperial Records are in there." one of the men said.

"Good, take them to him." Zavv said.

The men took the bags and went down to the lower levels as ordered. Everything was going according to Zavv's plan. _Oh, more blood on the carpet... _Zavv thought as he spotted Saelt's blood. _I've really got to stop torturing people in my throne room..._

Lieutenant Atrox had been in his room for three hours when he got up to see what was going on outside. He opened his door to see Zavv's two Weequay guards dragging two prisoners down deeper into the basement of Zavv's residence. One of them was a bloodied Yarkora, the other a Nimbanel. They were dragged to a large, empty wine store room and tossed in by the Weequay guards. The two prisoners shrieked in fear, but their cries fell on deaf ears. The Weequay guards showed no sympathy, and slammed the gate, then locked it before leaving and heading back upstairs.

Atrox left his room and headed over to the prisoners.

"Hello?" he said quietly.

The prisoners looked up at him somberly, then became immediately interested in him.

"An Imperial? In Zavv's residence? No way!" the Nimbanel said questioningly.

"Who are you?" the Yarkora asked.

"I'm Lieutenant Louis Atrox, and I'm with the Imperial Navy. Well, not anymore." he responded.

"Hey, he's the narc that busted Erin way back when!" the Nimbanel said to his companion.

"What's Zavv doing with an Imperial Officer in the first place?" the Yarkora asked.

"I know a lot about the criminal underworld, and Zavv wants to use me to give him everything I know." the officer explained.

"You know what he's going to do to you once you've told him everything, right?" the Yarkora asked, "He's gonna throw you to the dogs, Lieutenant."

"Yeah?" Atrox said, "Well I'm not the one locked up in a wine cellar."

The two prisoners fell silent. Just then, several men came down the steps, carrying luggage.

"Lieutenant Atrox?" one of them asked.

"Yes, how can I help?" he responded.

"These are your belongings. Zavv wants you to hand over the records as soon as possible." he said as he put the bags down and headed back upstairs with the other men. With the men gone, everything was quiet again. Then, the Yarkora spoke up.

"You're not the criminal type, Lieutenant. Get out of here while you can." he said.

"If I do, they'll track me down for sure. I've already got a hit on my head as it is, every bounty hunter on the planet is gonna want a shot at me."

"What's stopping them from killing you here?" the Nimbanel asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they're afraid of Zavv."

"Who wouldn't be? The guy's got a vampire at his side." the Yarkora shuddered.

"While I'm here," Atrox said, "Zavv wants me to tell him anything about Egon Tucker. Do you know anything about him?" Atrox asked.

The Yarkora chuckled. "What makes you think we'd tell you?"

"Well, it's not like Zavv has any real reason to keep you alive. If he hears you've got a past with Egon, maybe he'll keep you around a little while longer." Atrox considered.

The Yarkora spoke up first. "Egon's a phantom, nobody can touch him. I don't think even Zavv could. I've been doing business with criminals for years, and nobody's ever been as elusive as Egon Tucker, whoever he is. One minute he's raiding manipulating the Tusken Raiders into attacking Bestine, next minute-"

"Wait... what did you just say? About the Tusken Raiders?" Atrox asked with wide eyes.

"I said he used the Tusken Raiders to attack Bestine a few months back."

"That wasn't him, that was Ulysses." Atrox said.

The Yarkora and the Nimbanel seemed puzzled.

"But," the Yarkora said, "I worked out the monetary factor for that raid. It was Egon Tucker."

Atrox backed up, stunned. He had been the one doing the detective work on the Bestine raid, which was believed to be a drug feud. Someone had manipulated the Tusken Raiders into attacking Bestine, which was controlled by a powerful spice dealer. Atrox had gotten quite far in the investigation, and concluded that the man was someone named Ulysses, with contacts in Black Sun. Atrox even had specific names of Ulysses' associates and those involved in the raid, and he was close to cracking the case, but Ulysses was never properly identified.

"Ulysses and Egon Tucker are the same person..." Atrox said in disbelief.

"What do you know about Ulysses?" the Nimbanel asked.

"He's very powerful, and he's allied with Black Sun."

"I assume you'll be telling this to Zavv?" a chilling voice asked.

Atrox spun around and saw the tall, creepy figure of an Anzat standing there. He wore a chilling grin on his horrid face, and the two prisoners in the storage cage recoiled and moved to the back of their prison. Atrox himself tried his best not to show any fear, and stood upright and proud.

"Jerriko! What are you doing here?" Atrox demanded.

"Checking up on things. That's some very fine detective work, Lieutenant. I'll give you the honor of telling your new master this wonderful news."

"What's so wonderful about it?" the Lieutenant asked.

"It means there are more names on Zavv's death list. More lives for me to claim. More soup to drink." he said in a trance-like manner.

The two prisoners were still horrified by the Anzat's presence, and he chuckled to himself as he looked past Atrox and right at them.

"Good night, Lieutenant." he said as he headed back upstairs.

Zavv had been in his throne room for about twenty minutes, alone, save for his two statue-esque bodyguards. Any minute now, he would get a call from Thomas, or one of his men, regarding the records mentioned by Saelt Marae. Once he got ahold of those records, nobody could stop him. The Hutts, Black Sun, The Imperial Remnant, the rising New Republic, everyone would bow to him. Though Zavv did wonder why the records were stashed in an abandoned brothel, he didn't think too much about it. He was busy planning on a celebration. He figured he'd invite his spice friends, Thomas, Breen, and Hem Dazon, all to his residence where they could indulge in all sorts of things. Zavv himself hardly ever tried the spice he trafficked, but this was a special occasion, a little spice wouldn't hurt. Maybe some of Breen's slaves could be used for some entertainment, and surely there was a band looking for a gig somewhere.

"Sir!" a frantic voice called out.

Atrox ran into the throne room, with a look of amazement on his face.

"What is it?" Zavv asked.

"I think I know who Egon Tucker is." he said as he panted.

"You'd better not be kidding. Who do you think it is?"

The Lieutenant pulled out a datapad, scrolled through it quickly, then handed it over. As Zavv himself scanned through it, he saw dozens of case files on an unidentified figure, codenamed "Ulysses". The reports linked this man to dozens of individuals in the black markets of slave trading, spice trafficking, and arms dealing. There were even reports of dealings with the Sand People.

"Who is this Ulysses character?" Zavv asked, bewildered, "He seems to have quite a network going here."

"We never properly identified him, but whoever he is, he's more than likely our Egon Tucker."

"How could you possibly know that?" Zavv demanded.

"The Yarkora prisoner down there was the one who financed the arrangement in the Tusken Raider attack on Bestine. He said he did a deal with a man named Egon Tucker. When I did the investigation all those months ago, I confirmed that someone going under the alias Ulysses was behind the entire operation, the one pulling the strings."

_Could this day get any better? _Zavv wondered. Sure, he still didn't know exactly who Egon Tucker was, but now he had a list of names connected to the man. Or, at least according to Saelt Marae. Could he really take his word for it?

"Come with me..." Zavv said as he stood up and headed down into the basement, "We're going to have a little talk with our friend."

Zavv hurried down the stairs and reached the cell of Saelt Marae and Mosep Binneed. They looked at him with contempt, but they knew they would have to comply, or face total annihilation at the hands of the Anzat.

"Is this true?" Zavv demanded, "Is Egon Tucker the man behind the Tusken raid on Bestine?"

"Yes." Saelt responded.

"You'd better not be lying to me." Zavv warned.

"Why would I lie about that? I don't work with Egon anymore, he's too shady. In fact, he's-"

The Yarkora was interrupted by Zavv's comlink buzzing about. He snatched it up and answered it.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Boss..." said Thomas, "the records..."

"You found them? In the brothel?" Zavv asked eagerly.

"They've been destroyed! Some joker burned down the brothel with the records inside, and now he's shooting at us! We're pinned down and we need backup. He's killed seven cops and three of our men!"

The entire basement went silent. Nobody dared to speak, or risk losing their heads. Jalil's blood boiled, and he clenched his fist so hard, he began to start bleeding from his palm! But all that came out of his mouth was an angry whisper.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." he said as he clicked off the comlink. He then used all of his might and chucked it right into the wall, smashing it into a dozen pieces.

_This arsonist is going to pay dearly with his life! _Jalil cursed as he stormed outside to his personal speeder.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Things Go Sour**

Dyrk had been ducking behind the corpse of a large Wookiee for the past fifteen minutes, and it was really starting to get uncomfortable now, though he didn't dare shift his position to get comfortable, and possibly risk getting blasted by the crazed arsonist.

When Dyrk, Thomas, and three of Zavv's servants arrived in Bestine, they found the smouldering remains of the abandoned brothel, with the arsonist responsible for its destruction standing right outside, blasting away any police officers that dared to come near him. When the arsonist spotted Thomas and his men, he began firing on them immediately, so he must have recognized them. One of the men was a Wookiee, and he was the first to be shot and killed, so Dyrk had the bright idea of hiding behind the corpse, not considering the limitations of manuvering behind the body. Thomas and the remaining two servants had taken up shelter behind a wrecked speeder, and they exchanged a few shots with the arsonist, but could never manage to hit him.

The arsonist himself was a young, bandana wearing human male, and he wore guerilla style survival gear, complete with a combat vibroblade shiv, a blaster pistol, and several molotov cocktails, which he most likely used to destroy the brothel. Whoever this man was, he didn't want anyone to touch those records, and he was extremely well prepared to kill anyone who tried.

The young renegade jumped from cover and launched a thermal detonator at Thomas' relative position. This forced Thomas and his men to run from cover to flee from the grenade. This was all part of the arsonist's plan, as he proceeded to blast each one of them as the fled, picking them off one by one. Each shot hit its mark, and the three men collapsed onto the ground, motionless. Dyrk was unsure whether or not they were dead, but he knew he was the only one who was uninjured. He decided that the best option was to continue hiding behind the dead Wookiee until backup would arrive.

Then, from behind Dyrk came the sound of a racing speeder. Its rider ditched the vehicle as it sped towards the brothel, and crashed into its ruins. The speeder exploded, sending debris onto the arsonist and destroying whatever remained of the brothel. The rider was Jalil Zavv, and he took advantage of the distraction he created to rush towards the crazed renegade.

The arsonist was now on the ground, clutching a very deep wound caused by shrapnel from the crash. His blaster laid a few feet away from him, and he glanced down at it carefully.

"Don't try it." Zavv said as he aimed at him.

The arsonist looked back up at Zavv cautiously, then smirked. Then, in one instant, his hands shot towards his boot, where Zavv noticed a hidden firearm concealed very carefully. Without thinking, Zavv fired almost on instinct. The shot struck the arsonist in the face, instantly killing him.

Zavv froze as he realized he had been tricked. As Dyrk slowly approached, he knew his boss was truly defeated, he could see it clear as day. He dared not approach the man any further, or even look at him. Though he did look over at Thomas and his men, who were now stirring and rising up. Thomas gripped a wound on his shoulder, and he helped one of his surviving men, a Gran, to his feet. The other servant did not stir, and it was safe to assume he was dead.

Thomas and the Gran headed over to Zavv, probably not realizing the danger they were putting themselves in. Before Dyrk could warn them, the Gran spoke up.

"Master Zavv, he came out of nowhere, he-"

That's all it took for Zavv to backhand the Gran to the ground. He then pulled out his vibroblade from its sheathe, raised it above his head, and brought it down, with all of his might, right into the Gran's throat. He tore the blade from the injured alien, then brought it back down, again, and again, and again, until there was hardly anything left of his victim. Zavv sat there, over the fresh corpse, panting and covered in blood. Thomas backed up in horror, and Dyrk watched with awe. Zavv then stood up, calm as ever now.

"I assume that there are no surviving records." he said somberly as he looked at Dyrk. Dyrk shook his head in acknowledgment. Zavv solemly walked off towards the remains of the brothel.

He stood over the corpse of the man who he had accidentally shot. There was probably no chance of identifying the man. If he was working with organized crime, his superiors would have undoubtedly cut off any personal ties to him. Unless they were trying to make a personal statement...

Zavv crouched over the body and looked for any insignias to identify him. There, on the shoulder patch of his jacket, he spotted the familiar symbol of a Dianoga strangling the head of a Hutt. It was indeed a message after all!

"Egon Tucker..." Zavv whispered to himself, "If he wants a war, that's exactly what I'll give him."

A regroup was necessary, in this time of confusion and chaos. Zavv ordered that all of his major associates were to come to his personal home to discuss their next step. Egon Tucker was public enemy number one in the eyes of Zavv and his gang, and he had to be taken down. It seemed Lieutenant Atrox had proven himself to be more valuable than Jalil had thought, especially with that extra dirt on the Tucker/Ulysses case. Not that it told him who Tucker was, but it did give him a list of the scumbag's associates, who certainly would know.

As Zavv pulled up to his private residence, he could tell that something wasn't quite right. For one, from the outside, it appeared that the lights inside were flickering, and thick, black smoke was rising out of one of the open windows. Realizing someone must have entered while he was away, and knowing that the intruder could very well still be inside, he silently waved to his companions, who had been following in speeders. Dyrk and Thomas drew their blasters and crouched behind Zavv while he creeped into his home.

Furniture was strewn all around the main entance, and wooden splinters crunched under Zavv's boot as he walked over them. There were several blaster marks on the walls, some with smoke still rising off them. An attack had probably occurred only a few moments before he arrived. He headed upstairs to the main throne room, and peeked around the corner.

His bone chair was shattered, and all of his decorative ornaments which once hung on the walls were now burned to crisps by blaster fire. But before Zavv could investigate further, a loud crash echoed through the building. Zavv and his companions instinctively spun around and quickly headed back down the stairs. Nothing stirred in the main room, so the crash must have come from downstairs.

Right at the top of the stairs were the corpses of Mosep Binneed and one of Zavv's Weequay bodyguards. The bodies had several scorch marks on the torso, probably inflicted by small arms fire. Zavv and his men stepped over the corpses and descended into the basement and spotted the fresh corpse of the other Weequay bodyguard, who had a very pale and shriveled appearance, even for a Weequay. In the far corner of the basement hid Saelt Marae, Dannik Jerriko, and Lieutenant Atrox.

"Which one of you killed him?"

Atrox and Saelt only glared back. Jerriko, however, stepped forward proudly.

"I drained this one of his soup." Jerriko said sinisterly.

"What the hell happened here?" Zavv demanded.

"While you were away, your two bodyguards tried to capture us..." Atrox finally said, "They wrecked the place and tried to take us."

"They killed Mosep when he tried to escape." Saelt added.

"You're lying!" Zavv shouted.

"Look at the surveilance footage, you fool!" Atrox shouted back.

Zavv pulled out his vibroblade, ready to kill Atrox for the insult he just uttered. Thomas grabbed Zavv to restrain him, but he was too strong for him. Zavv had reached his boiling point, and was ready to kill anything and anyone who insulted him. Dyrk then leaped into action to aid in the restraining, and after a few moments, things seemed to calm down.

"They were bounty hunters. Experts." Saelt said.

"If they were experts, then how come they're dead?" Zavv asked.

"Well, after all the home-wrecking had ended, the two of them came down here to kidnap us..." Atrox began, "They blasted open the cell door and dragged all of us out here. Mosep pushed one of the bounty hunters and tried to escape, and that's when the Weequay at the top of the stairs shot him. This one right here..." he said as he pointed to the Weequay with the pale appearance, "got mad and shot the other one. I think Mosep was worth more alive. When this one heard you guys come in, he told us to stay down and keep quiet. He was so focused on you guys that he didn't notice the Anzat coming up behind him."

"It's true, you can watch the surveilance footage yourself, sir." Saelt confirmed.

Zavv glared at the corpses of his former bodyguards. This Egon Tucker was far more elusive than anyone had previously believed. His power was far greater than even Jabba's had been. Not only did he seem to consider the Hutt's unclaimed credits to be petty credits, but he was also clever in luring Zavv out to Bestine. Though of all the species to use as bounty hunters, why would he choose Weequay? They were among the dumbest and clumsiest species in the galaxy, it's no wonder they failed their task. Also, how could anyone know that Atrox was here? Zavv himself made sure that all witnesses of the business arrangement in the cantina were killed on the spot.

_It must have been the two Weequay, they must have been the rats... _Zavv thought to himself.

"Zavv, if you want me to continue my service for you, changes will have to be made." Atrox said.

"What are you talking about?" Zavv asked.

"Well, for one, there are bounty hunters coming after me! Surely, these two aren't the only ones who want me dead. Second, this place isn't secure at all. We need a real retreat, somewhere nobody would be able to surprise us from."

Atrox was right, and Zavv knew it.

"Okay, we'll deal with the bounty hunters. Surely, you've got files on all the hot shot bounty posters, most of which are certainly involved in the spice trade."

"Yes, and I may be able to track down the one who sent these guys, based on the Ulysses contacts."

"Good thinking. While you do that, I'll search for a place we can set up camp. Let me know when you've got the names. Lock your doors and sit tight, I'll have guards patrolling the perimeter." Zavv said as he headed upstairs. He stopped and looked Thomas dead in the eyes. "Get a sizable crew here as soon as possible, I want this place secure by the time everyone else arrives."

"Right away." Thomas said as he activated his comlink and headed outside.

That left only Dyrk and Zavv standing in the main room.

"Egon Tucker thinks he's really smart," Zavv said to his young servant, "He's in for a big wakeup call."

"We'll have him in no time, sir." Dyrk agreed.

Zavv patted the young Dyrk on the back. "You've been a real helper lately, Dyrk. You keep this up, you'll be one of the hot shot dealers in no time."

"Thank you, sir, it really is an honor."

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of several guests. There was Breen and Hem Dazon, of course, with their bodyguards following close behind. These recent outbreaks of violence caused paranoia among the criminals Zavv was associated with, and they weren't taking any chances by going without bodyguards. Thomas and Dyrk also entered, now ready for business.

"Zavv, this place is a mess! What the hell happened here?" Breen exclaimed.

"It looks like there's been a firefight here!" Dazon called out.

"I refuse to risk my life by coming here." Breen said as he began to leave.

"Now wait just a minute, you sniveling Rodian!" Zavv shouted as he drew his blaster.

Breen stopped and turned to Zavv.

"Now..." Zavv began, "In a few minutes, this place will be secured by several trust-worthy associates of mine. We will be safe here."

"I think we would be safer at my place." Dazon said.

Zavv only glared at the Arcona, which made him sink back in place.

"Everyone follow me." Zavv said as he headed up to his throne room.

Zavv kicked over the remains of his bone chair and pulled up a regular chair. The guests, Hem Dazon, Breen, Thomas, and Dyrk all pulled up chairs of their own and formed a semi-circle around Zavv.

"I think it's clear that we have a pretty big thorn in our side. This Egon Tucker must be dealt with." Zavv started. "My Imperial comrade has a list of Tucker's contacts, and we're working on that now. The thing that really concerns me is that somehow, Egon found out that Lieutenant Atrox is working with us."

"But how could he? Aren't we the only ones who know about that?" Breen asked.

"Well, it appears that word has somehow gotten out..." Zavv said as he glared at the two guests.

"Wait a minute, Zavv, you don't think we told Tucker, do you?" Dazon asked.

"I certainly hope, for your sake, that is not the case."

"Jalil, you've known all of us for many years now." Thomas said, sensing the hostility in the air.

"That doesn't concern me. What does concern me is that somehow, some way, Tucker knows that Lieutenant Atrox is working with us. Only we know that, along with our prisoner downstairs, and there's no way he could have had the time to tell anybody else about that."

"Well, if you're gonna blame anyone, blame the newer guy." Dazon said, pointing to Dyrk.

"Why are you so quick to make accusations, Dazon? Got a guilty conscience?" Dyrk asked.

"Alright, enough!" Zavv shouted, "Now look, we can settle this like professionals. We'll do a little research on this, and we'll find out who leaked news of our partnership with Atrox. Speaking of Atrox, this bounty hunter business has to be dealt with. If we're realistically going to work with him, we've got to get that bounty off his head."

"We could check the bounty listing and see who's tracking him." Dyrk offered.

"No, that would take too long, and if the bounty hunters are really good, we probably won't know they're coming until it's too late." Zavv said.

"What if we just moved Atrox somewhere away from us? Like, put him in a safehouse or something." Thomas added.

"I wouldn't trust him to be alone. He'd probably try escaping, and if he did, I'd have to kill him."

"We could pay a visit to Zimm, he's probably the only guy left on Tatooine who could take someone off the bounty list." Breen suggested.

"Zimm? Never heard of him." Zavv said.

"He's more popular off-world. He's a slave trader and criminal kingpin from Malastare, I think, and he came here to Tatooine to manage the slave trade after Jabba bit the dust." Breen explained.

"But if I tell him to remove the bounty, he's going to ask why. I'm not too crazy about informing him of my dealings with an Imperial." Zavv said.

"Well, once he agrees to remove the bounty, we'll discuss the details further. We'll give him a short contract, you know?" Dyrk said.

"Alright, so we have a plan." Zavv said. "Now, Atrox brought up an interesting point earlier. He said that we're going to need a real base of operations. This place just won't do."

"We can still take Jabba's Palace, right?" Dazon asked.

"I don't know how we're gonna do it. The B'omarr monks are bunkered up in there, and they've been abducting any intruders they capture." Breen mentioned.

"I can help..." a sinister voice said.

Everyone glanced over at the doorway to see the sly Dannik Jerriko leaning on the wall.

"What do you know about Jabba's Palace?" Breen asked.

"I used to explore the palace all the time. I know a lot of the secret passageways and the layout of the hallways." Dannik stated.

"I hope you know the layout of the place better than the intruders that were abducted." Zavv said.

"Certainly."

"Good, then we'll retake the Palace with you as our guide. Tomorrow, we visit Zimm."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Shooting Gallery**

The twin suns of Tatooine fell on Zimm's base of operations, scorching the metallic roof and reflecting a piercing light back at anyone who glanced in its direction. Whether it was intentionally irritating or not, Zimm didn't seem to care, and had no plans to fix this. The base was a three story building formerly used as the Shistavanen embassy here on Tatooine, until it was abandoned and left to the squatters. Zimm couldn't pass up the opportunity to toss them out and use the site for his own greedy needs.

Zimm himself was a fat, bald, bearded man of sun-scorched tan complexion. He was the exact opposite of handsome, but he didn't care what other people thought of him. His slaves would still be around him, to please him in any way he wanted, and that's all he cared about. Some of his slaves had formerly been on the leash of Jabba before he was killed, and he took advantage of those ones the most. If they could handle Jabba, they could handle Zimm.

The main room had a few spacers and servants sitting around, discussing various topics with one another. Some were there discussing business, like trading slaves and going after bounties, and some were there making deals with other patrons.

Business was slow for Zimm on this particular day. No bounties had been turned in, none had been added to the list, and only one bounty hunter came in for a job, some weird Anzat assassin who had a reputation for brutality. This Anzat kept Zimm entertained with conversations all throughout the morning.

"I find these petty discussions mundane, if you don't mind me saying." Jerriko stated bluntly.

"Then let's spice things up..." Zimm said, "Why are you on Tatooine? Shouldn't an Anzat be somewhere more civilized, working for the guys who have several billion credits in their accounts?"

"Here on Tatooine, you can get away with things you never could on civilized worlds. The jobs here are more exotic and interesting, that's why I stick around." Jerriko said.

"What kind of exotic things?" Zimm asked curiously.

"Well, sometimes a crime boss, such as yourself, may request a bounty's head, only the head. I've also seen bounties posted for droids, but those are no fun, they don't feel terror when they're being hunted."

"Is that what you like? The terror in your victims?" Zimm asked.

"I like it all, the terror in their eyes when they know they're going to die, the taste of their fresh soup, the struggle and fight they give you, and of course, the credits. What's not to love?"

Zimm wasn't sure if he was sickened by the Anzat or if he admired him. Before he could make up his mind, a guest entered the main room. He was a young, handsome man, with a look of professionalism on his face. Zimm recognized him immediately, Jalil Zavv, the notorious spice dealer from the cesspit of Mos Eisley. The young criminal strode in and approached Zimm directly while the Anzat slipped away to some corner of the room.

"Jalil Zavv, what a pleasant surprise! I was wondering when I'd have the honor of meeting you." Zimm said.

"Hey, I'm all about business, and you're the man to go to for my kind of situation." Zavv said with a smile.

"What kind of situation? Someone steal your spice shipments? I can have a bounty posted on them at a moment's notice."

"I'm not looking to post a bounty, I'm looking to have one removed." Zavv stated, "I know that you have the power to do so."

"Oh? Who's the bounty in question?"

"Lieutenant Atrox of the Imperial Navy. I shouldn't be telling you this, but he is a dire asset to my business."

The kingpin huffed in amusement. "Those Imps are worth a lot to me. I know your business is booming with profits, but Imps are worth far more than petty spice money. Sorry, your Imperial friend is going to be on every bounty hunter's list until someone catches him."

Zavv stepped closer to Zimm, glaring at him impatiently. "I'm telling you, if you take down the bounty, I'll cut you in on the profits I make."

"I'm not interested in your profits, Zavv. You know, I should actually thank you for letting me know where Atrox is, to be honest. I'll just send my boys to go collect him. Now, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Zavv bowed politely. "Alright, sorry to trouble you."

Zavv turned and headed out the doorway, and the Kingpin and his patrons laughed hysterically at the man's attempt to remove the bounty. Just then, a thermal detonator, tossed from the corner of the room, landed right in the crowd of patrons. Zimm spun around and saw that Jerriko had in fact tossed it, and was now grinning madly at the chaos. Panic began to set in, and many of the patrons scattered to avoid the blast, but it did them no good. The detonation vaporized those closest to it, and blew the others into freshly scorched bits of gore.

Zimm and his bodyguards were safe on the other side of the room, but not for long. Before they could react, Zavv re-entered the room with his blaster in his hand. He quickly disposed of the bodyguards with two shots each, dropping them to the floor. He then aimed at Zimm himself, and fired a shot into the kingpin's ankle, injuring him and keeping him from successfully fleeing. A third, previously unseen bodyguard then leaped from the corner of the room and shoved Zavv right into the wall.

Before the sneaky bodyguard could do any real damage, Dannik tore him away from Zavv and onto the ground. The bodyguard was no match for the skilled Anzat, who began to immediately feast on him.

As he tried to catch his breath, Zavv looked around the room. There were a few severely injured survivors squirming around on the floor, and the smell of smouldering debris and death was in the air. Zimm was struggling to lean against his chair, and Zavv drew his blaster once more and aimed directly at the wounded kingpin.

"Wait!" Zimm cried out.

Zavv, glad the kingpin had fallen for his bluff, put away the blaster. "What?"

"I'll take down the bounty on your friend, I will!"

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere!" Zavv said happily.

The wounded kingpin pulled out his personal datapad and quickly scrolled through the bounty posts. Dozens of names passed by his fingers, until he stopped and selected the name of Lt. Atrox. He immediately removed it with that tap of his fingers.

Zavv sighed in relief. "See? Now how hard was that? You made me kill all of these wonderful people, when you could have just simply tapped a couple of holographic buttons."

Zavv began to feel a surge of power within him, one he hadn't felt since before the destruction of the Hutt records. Here he was, standing victoriously over the once great and powerful slave trader and bounty manager Zimm. As Zavv took in the moment, it became clear that not only had one of the patrons survived the blast, but also one of the bodyguards he had shot.

"Dannik, help yourself to any survivors." Zavv said coldly.

Zimm sat up quickly. "No, please! Why do they have to die?"

"Well, it's either that, or they go and tell all their friends who was responsible for this mess. Sorry, but I can't really have any witnesses. That includes you." Zavv said as he aimed at Zimm.

Zimm raised his hand over his face to shield himself, but it was useless, as Zavv fired, blowing away what was once Zimm's face. His body hit the floor with a thump, and the only other sound in the room was of Dannik feasting on the wounded patrons. Smoke was rising off the fried corpses, and all was still in the room, almost as if time itself has come to a halt. This was usually how it felt to Zavv after a string of murders, and he loved it.

"Good work, Dannik. You've earned your reward." Zavv said as he walked around and examined the bodies.

Now, with the bounty on Atrox removed, and another major criminal dead and out of the way, they could proceed with moving their base of operations to Jabba's currently abandoned palace. As he looked around, he considered moving here, to Zimm's place. But that wasn't quite good enough. It wasn't very isolated, and moving in would give a clear indication as to who was responsible for these murders, something that wouldn't go well with Zimm's associates.

Zavv took out his personal comlink and called Dyrk, the one man he could somewhat trust. The man's brutality was admirable, and he could trust someone who was like himself.

"How did the discussions go?" Dyrk asked.

"They went quite well. Atrox is no longer a wanted man, and I thought I'd go ahead and kill Zimm and all of his patrons."

A brief pause followed, not exactly one of hesitation, but there was certainly a pause. "They're all dead, sir?" Dyrk asked.

"Yes, I saw to it myself."

"Good, no witnesses." Dyrk said.

"That's right. We'll be back within the hour." Zavv said as he clicked off the comlink.

Dannik stood up, done with his victims, and approached Zavv. "They served me well, sir, and put up quite a fight for a couple of wounded lowlives."

"No kidding. Let's get out of here before someone comes and sees this mess." Zavv responded as he headed out the doorway.

As he passed by the building's garage, he halted.

"Dannik, do you have a spare thermal detonator?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. What do you need it for?" Dannik asked.

"I'm going to bring this place down. No reason to keep it up, I guess." he said as he took the detonator and headed into the garage.

Inside was a small sail barge, just large enough for a party of ten. But even the smallest sail barges have large repulsor generators, which, when destroyed by fire, were capable of producing huge explosions, which could easily bring down the entire building. Zavv knew exactly where to place the detonator, under the hood of the repulsor's main power source and on top of the generator. He set the timer, then quickly headed back towards the exit.

"You might want to keep up." he said to Dannik as he passed him.

The two headed outside and walked towards their speeders. It was a five minute drive back to Mos Eisley, so he doubted anyone would see this place actually collapse. As they hopped onto their vehicles, an explosion rocked the site. Within only a matter of moments, the walls of the building collapsed and were encased in a bright orange wall of fire.

_Sure, it's overkill, but better to go too far than not far enough, _Zavv thought as he sped off back to his Mos Eisley residence.

Three hours had passed since the demise of Zimm and his crew, and Zavv had been working with Atrox on tracking some of the Ulysses associates. With a little research, Atrox discovered that half of the associates were currently dead, some were incarcerated on various Outer Rim prison colonies, and some were still on Tatooine, no doubt involved in the current scheme of things.

Saelt Marae was still on the list of associates, and he had to be dealt with accordingly. Long story short, Saelt wouldn't be involved in any more black market business. One of the other surviving associates was Alek Weylander, the guy in charge of transporation of various black market goods from one system to another. Weylander was at a cantina in Mos Espa when Zavv's men found him, and he was due to arrive in front of Zavv's feet any moment now.

This would, however, be an interesting confrontation. Zavv made sure that Weylander wouldn't be suspicious off his true motives. To Weylander, this was supposed to appear to be a regular, run of the mill spice deal, complete with a cash reward and everything. He didn't have to know he was under the threat of death.

Zavv and Atrox sat in the remains of the throne room, browsing through the old Imperial files.

"Sir," Atrox said, "What do you hope to accomplish by bringing Weylander here?"

"He can tell us who he's currently working with. The information he brings us will bring us closer to finding Egon Tucker." Zavv explained.

"I'm not sure I follow. I mean, he could always fabricate a list. People tend to do that when they're under the fear of death."

"Way ahead of you there. He doesn't know he's in any danger yet. Besides, we can authenticate the list. If anyone has Egon Tucker's identity, it'll be Weylander. These big time crime bosses always keep their transport guys close, after all, they're the guys they have to trust to move their stuff from point A to point B."

"I guess that makes sense, sir." Atrox said, "But you know, if you spared Zimm, maybe he could have posted a bounty on Egon Tucker."

"Just keep doing your research, Atrox." Zavv said.

Thomas entered the room, with Breen and Dyrk close behind.

"How are things going? Are we getting closer to finding out who Egon Tucker is?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, we've got his transportation manager in our custody right now. He should be arriving shortly." Zavv responded.

Thomas looked at Breen excitedly. "This is great news, sir! Once we nab that bastard, we can move on." he said.

"Yes, once we take Jabba's Palace, we'll plant Egon's head on a spike outside the main entrance. Speaking of Jabba's Palace, where's Jerriko? We could begin preparations now."

Jerriko slipped into the throne room, introducing that uncomfortable, chilling feeling to the room.

"I'm ready when you are, sir." Jerriko said obediently.

"We can set off for Jabba's tomorrow evening. You'll lead us through the hidden passageways and help us retake the palace. You remember the way, right?"

"Yes, the monks inside won't be aware of our presence, not until it's too late." Jerriko said confidently.

Zavv could see it now, seeing himself as the powerful owner of Jabba's Palace, with all of Tatooine looking up to him, obeying his commands. He would own it all. "Alright, we-"

He was interrupted by two of Thomas' men escorting a scruffy, middle aged spacer, who didn't appear to have any suspicions at all.

"Alek Weylander, yes?" Zavv asked with a friendly smile.

The man grinned and shook his hand. "Good to meet you, sir. I've heard you're the big boss here on Tatooine now."

"That's exactly right. I've heard you've worked with Egon Tucker in the past. That would lead me to assume that you can give us an updated list on who you've been working with. The list we have is from many months ago, and a lot has changed since then, but it really seems like business has been booming Egon's boys, so surely there are some fresh faces on your list that I haven't seen. I need the names."

"I've probably got the manifest somewhere in my datapad. So, how much am I getting paid for this?"

Zavv quickly thought up a price that would satisfy the spacer. "10,000."

Weylander gasped. "No kidding!"

He pulled out his personal datapad and frantically scrolled through it, excited to reap the benefits of this deal. The other people in the room watched impatiently as he clumsily blazed through each virtual page, until he eventually came across it.

"Here you go, sir!" he said as he eagerly handed it to Zavv.

There were the names he expected, the ones already on the previous list. The typical freighter pilots, spice runners, and gun merchants. This particular list seemed to refer to the both the destruction of the Hutt records and the assault on Zavv's own home.

Then, a particular set of names caught his attention... Thomas and Breen were on here, listed to be paid under the contracts of hitmen...

"Weylander... please tell me there's a mistake..." Zavv said quietly.

"Those are the most recent billing arrangements. You'll see I'm on there, of course." he said.

"But... the hitmen are my own men..." Zavv added.

"Yes, my boss had to hire some of your men to be the inside men. Spies, sir. I never met any of them personally, though." he then had a sudden realization, "Wait a minute, they're not here, are they?"

Zavv looked up at Thomas and Breen, who seemed unaware that their names were on the list.

"Actually, they are." Zavv said angrily.

The two looked at each other in horror.

"Zavv, it's a set up!" Breen shouted.

"You know us better than this!" Thomas begged.

"We're being framed!" Breen added.

Dyrk began to back up from the two, sensing a clear danger in being around them. Soon, Atrox began to do the same. Zavv said nothing, he only glared at the two frightened hitmen. Jerriko, from behind the two traitors, looked at Zavv, silently seeking approval to satisfy his hunger. Zavv nodded.

In what seemed like only a fraction of a second, Jerriko managed to incapacitate both men with just a single strike. They collapsed to the ground instantly, but were not dead.

"Help yourself, Jerriko." Zavv said.

That was all it took for the Anzat to begin draining Breen of his life, while the temporarily paralyzed Thomas looked on in terror, unable to look away. Now Atrox was backed up on the wall, far away from the vampiric horror on the other side of the room.

After only a few moments, Breen was dried up, so Jerriko moved on to Thomas, and began feasting on him. Dyrk and Weylander looked on with morbid curiosity at Jerriko's hunger. How could he stomach the taste of a sentient's brain matter? Was it even brain matter? Nobody could be sure, but whatever the case, it was too horrible to comprehend.

"Well, um..." Weylander started to say as he tried to look away from the hideous sight, "Yeah, so that's the updated list and everything. Should I give you my account number?"

Zavv looked down at the foolish criminal. "Oh, I don't think so. Sure, you've been valuable, but I no longer have any use for you, or your partners. I guess after I kill you, they will be next."

An all too familiar routine began again. Zavv pulled his vibroblade out from its sheathe on his hip, then swung it horizontally along Weylander's throat. The blade sliced through his flesh like a hot knife through butter, with virtually no resistance whatsoever. The man gasped for air as blood shot out on himself, the floor, and his killer. He grabbed his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was too much to hold back. He wheezed and collapsed onto the floor, rolling around in agony.

The bloodshed was too much for Atrox, and he shielded his eyes from it, while Zavv and Dyrk seemed to relish in it. Zavv could have at least been humane by just shooting Weylander in the head, but blasters took out all the joy in killing. There was no time to savor the moment, to see the life going out of his victim's eyes. It was a boring, and dull way to end the life of an enemy, so he usually preferred this method, the vibroblade. Personal, slow, and gory. It was beautiful.

Zavv's eyes panned around the room, carefully studying Atrox, Dyrk, and Thomas' remaining henchmen.

"Should I find that any of you are mentioned in any of the enemy's manifest..." Zavv said, "You will meet similar fates." Zavv looked over at Dyrk, who was ready to take his orders. "Dyrk, I want you to be my new majordomo. It's a big pair of boots to fill, but with Thomas gone, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have at my side."

"It's an honor." Dyrk said proudly, "What would you have me do?"

"Some of the names on this list belong to people who are incarcerated in the Outer Rim. I want them dead, whatever it takes. I'm sure the prison guards can be bribed. Maybe arrange for the guards to take the targets out in the yard and have them shot. I want the assassins to be paid handsomly for their contributions to my empire."

By now, Weylander had stopped thrashing on the floor and was finally dead. Zavv stepped over the corpse and approached Jerriko, who had just finished consuming Thomas.

"Jerriko, I don't think I feel entirely safe here anymore. We will take Jabba's Palace tonight." Zavv demanded.

"As you wish."

"We'll save the corpses of the traitors for now. We can display them outside Jabba's Palace, right next to the head of Egon Tucker, whenever we acquire it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Fruition**

Ever since the Weequay raid on his home, Zavv made sure that Atrox was within eyesight at all times. That's why he took the Lieutenant on this mission to Jabba's Palace. The team comprised of Jerriko, Zavv, Atrox, three goons, and Hem Dazon. Dyrk was off somewhere doing some errand he had been given, but would be joining them at a later time.

The team was dressed in desert robes, and they walked through the rocky canyon leading up to Jabba's deserted palace. It was the dead of night, the air and sand were practically freezing, and the cold, harsh winds didn't help either. No one spoke or made a sound, in fact the only audible sound at the time was the sound of the group's footsteps.

After about an hour and a half of walking, the group spotted the rusty fortress on the horizon. It sat on top of the canyon, proud and boastful, waiting to be claimed. Many had tried to claim it since the death of Jabba, but none succeeded, and those who tried were never heard from again. This didn't bother Zavv, as he knew he could trust his Anzat assistant. Jabba's Palace was the ultimate symbol of power, and it was his for the taking.

In the distance, everyone heard the faint calls of a few Tusken Raiders. They were too far off to be considered a threat, but it was always unnerving. Their barbaric calls always seemed to echo for a thousand miles, the only thing that could be compared would be the call of a Krayt Dragon. The Tusken Raiders were probably doing some sort of savage ritual out in the adjacent canyon, and at this time, were probably not looking for trouble.

The group finally arrived at the massive steel entrance to Jabba's Palace. The gate was riddled with blaster marks and scratches, and was partially open, probably about two feet off the ground. Technically, one could squeeze through and enter the palace, but this was probably what cost a lot of intruders their lives. If there were squatters inside controlling the security systems, they could easily shut the gate all the way and trap the intruders. Luckily, Jerriko had other plans.

"There is another entrance, tucked away on the other side." he said as he slipped away and headed around the side of the palace.

The group followed him around the perimeter of the massive structure until they came across a large rock leaning on the wall. Jerriko shoved it aside, revealing a small, metal grate, which was just barely large enough to support a human. Jerriko removed the grate and slid inside. The others went in behind him and crawled through the grate.

This path was very claustrophobic, and it made them wonder how Jerriko could have possibly had the time to find this path. It was musty, and smelled of fungus that had probably been there for centuries. The surface of this narrow path was slimy and absolutely repulsive, but if it got them into the palace undetected, Zavv didn't care.

The group slithered through the path for a few minutes before the Anzat stopped.

"What is it?" Dazon asked.

"We're here." Jerriko said as he worked on something.

A quiet, creaking sound was heard, and another grate gave way as Jerriko climbed through and emerged inside the palace. Soon, everyone climbed out of the grate and stepped into the palace. They appeared to be in the prison section, which was somehow even less pleasant than the grate they had just climbed out of. The floor was stained with blood, fungus, and scraps of rotten food.

Thankfully, they weren't going to stay there for much longer. Jerriko led the group down a hallway and finally into the main audience chamber. The former throne of Jabba was missing its large cushions and control panel, but was nevertheless still recognizable. The chairs, which formerly held former patrons, were strewn all around the chamber. Two rotten, almost mummified corpses were also present, one in the doorway, and one in the far corner near the toppled chairs. They were probably the result of Jerriko's vampiric massacre after Jabba's death, as shown by Jerriko's grin at the sight of them. The room was nearly pitch dark, and only with the help of his flashlight could Zavv see various features in the room.

So this was it. This was where the big man himself resided and controlled his mighty empire. This was where Zavv would do the same.

Suddenly, sharp, metallic sounding steps echoed through the audience chamber. Initially, Zavv believed they were that of a droid, but as they got closer, they sounded a bit more clumsy than a droid's. Sure enough, a B'omarr spider droid turned around the corner and stood still, looking in the group's direction. It held the brain of one of the monks in its massive jar, but did not move.

"Are you surprised to see us?" Zavv asked it.

Before it could respond, Zavv pulled out his blaster and shot it right in the jar that housed the brain. The droid topped over and shattered the jar, spilling the fluids onto the floor and crushing the brain. Zavv laughed hysterically at the sight of this, but before he could finish laughing, a hard, painful strike against the back of his head knocked him unconscious.

Night had passed, and the twin suns of Tatooine were just now beginning to rise up. The sand's temperature would soon rise to nearly unbearable levels, but for now, it was cool and whispy. It was a new day, for the planet of Tatooine, and for Jalil Zavv, who found himself bound in chains in a dark, moist prison cell. He looked around for any of his companions, but no one was there to help him.

"Hey!" he called out, "Someone get me out of here!"

A loud strike against the cell door shook the whole cell and made Zavv drop to his knees.

"Shut up in there." a voice called out.

"Who the hell said that?" Zavv demanded, "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you filth. Now shut up!" the voice answered.

Something wasn't right. Zavv turned to his restraints and tugged with all his might, but to no avail, they would not come loose. He kicked at the wall, gritted his teeth, and shouted, but it was useless. For a few minutes, he sat there, thinking of a way to escape.

The barred window looked like it could be pried apart with the appropriate amount of force, so Jalil climbed up as high as he could and clutched the bars, only to be met with a serious electric shock that dropped him to the floor. It seems his captors, whoever they were, were a bit smarter than the usual goons.

Hours passed by before Zavv could get up and move again. The shock had stunned him greatly, but he had regained his composure. He began to wonder how long he had actually been inside his cell. Had it only been a few mere hours? Or was it days? Could it even have been weeks?

Days passed by, and it seemed like eons. Jalil has resorted to eating the damp remains of his shirt. He also felt that his typically nicely shaven face was becoming much less so. It hadn't been nearly long enough for a full beard to grow, but at this point, he was sure he resembled a common beggar in the Mos Eisley streets.

After about the fifth day of being in the cell, Zavv couldn't take it anymore. He was losing what little sanity he already had.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU TRAITORS!" Zavv screamed as he kicked the walls and smacked his chain against them.

This screaming routine continued for another five minutes before the cell door opened up, letting light pour in and blinding Zavv.

"The boss wants to see you." the voice from before said.

A large hand grabbed Zavv by the scruff of his neck and hoisted him into the air. A loud, mechanical sound snapped behind him, and he found that he was no longer chained to the wall, but still could not move his hands. Ahead, he could hear the voices of dozens of loud patrons, and he wondered who could have possibly come to the palace already. Who is this boss the voice spoke of? The only boss Zavv was aware of was himself, but he sensed a great treachery ahead.

He was dropped to the ground violently, and the voices of the patrons laughed at his pain. As his vision cleared up, he saw that he was back in the main audience chamber. The lights had been restored to the palace, and the remains of the corpses were cleaned up. Everything was neat again, and Zavv looked down and saw that he was placed over the grille of the Rancor den. The corpse of the Rancor had been moved, leaving the den empty and filthy. Zavv quickly looked up to the throne to see who could possibly be behind all this.

To his surprise, that person was none other than his own right hand man, Dyrk Tannen. He was much cleaner now than he usually was, and he dressed in fancy robes, very different from his usual thug clothes. He also had several slave women at his side, and he looked down on Zavv with sarcastic pity.

"Dyrk?" Zavv wondered.

Dyrk smiled at this confusion. "Dyrk, Egon, Ulysses, they're all the same to me... pseudonyms. Hell, it's been so long since I've used my real name, I think I've forgotten it."

"But... how? How could you have fooled me?"

"It was really elaborate, I know. I did this to a lot of other spice traders, but I never got as far with them as I did with you. Yes, I stole some of your profits and gave them to lesser traders, who then joined my cause. Remember when I was brought before you for spending your credits on juri juice? I arranged for Officer Dermul to take me to you, so that I could appear to be helpless in the eyes of the witnesses of the capture and in your eyes. The whole capture thing was just for show."

None of this made sense to Zavv. "You were willing to let me cut off your fingers just so you could fool me?"

Egon and the audience shared a booming laugh. When things quieted down, Egon grabbed his own right arm and squeezed it. Slowly, he tore off the flesh, revealing a bionic arm.

"It wouldn't have been much to lose a few replacable fingers. Besides, your two Weequay guards were mine all along. If things got too heated up, they would have killed you on the spot. I'm so glad it didn't have to come to that."

"So you used my companions to get information on me? Clever..." Zavv said hatefully.

"Oh, actually, I didn't. You were getting too close to discovering who I was, so I planted the names of your two friends in my files. I knew you would be too bloodthirsty to think things through. Yes, you killed them for nothing."

Zavv looked at the floor embarrassingly. He had unwittingly murdered two of his most loyal associates, who were now unable to bust him out of this problem.

Dyrk laughed boastfully. "But I did have Jerriko on my side. Where did you think he was going all that time when he was sneaking around? He was digging through your files, you idiot, giving me the edge I needed. I definitely have to give him credit for finding those files for me."

Jerriko stood beside Dyrk's new throne, and he looked down at Zavv with sarcastic pity. Zavv looked back at Jerriko with pure contempt.

"So I assume Jerriko is your new lap dog, huh?" Zavv asked.

"No, he served his purpose already."

Before Jerriko could turn to ask what he meant, Dyrk whipped out his blaster and shot the Anzat in the throat. The vampire fell forward and crashed right next to Zavv. He squirmed about in agony, but did not shout. Dyrk clearly didn't want to waste any more time, and finished him off with three more blasts to the head.

Dyrk sighed and holstered his blaster. "I don't like a bounty hunter that requires that kind of vampiric feeding..." Dyrk said, "Besides, he had a bounty on his head for that massacre he pulled when Jabba died. I figure I could turn his corpse in for a few thousand credits on the side. It's petty blood money, but hey, money's money!"

"And what of Lieutenant Atrox?" Zavv asked, "Will you be killing him too?"

"I planned on it, but I began to see his usefulness, his intellect. He's a very valuable assett, and he can work here if he likes."

Everyone in the room looked over at the bewildered officer, who was standing at the entrance. Atrox looked at his former master with genuine remorse, then nodded at Dyrk.

"I guess that answers that." Dyrk said proudly.

"What of the former assets of Jabba? The ones burned in the brothel? Countless records, lost forever!" Zavv demanded.

"It wasn't really as much as you might think. I've already got eleven times that much money already, and I knew destroying those records would send you on a frenzy. Personally, it was more fun to see you kill your own men than it would have been to spend any of those credits. You know, it really is a shame that I have to kill you. We could have been partners. You were right about one thing, you and I aren't too different, after all. We're both psychopaths, but I'm a different kind of psycho. I know my limits, I am in control of myself. You're a train wreck. I can't work with someone who can't keep a grip on themselves. Though I guess I have to thank you for eliminating the competition. In all honesty, I could have kept this whole fascade thing going on a lot longer, but you just couldn't stop killing, could you? You were starting to invade territory that wasn't yours. You killed Zimm, who was a great associate of mine. I couldn't just let you get away with that. Up until then, you had been killing people I already wanted dead, but you crossed the line, Zavv."

"It's not too late, Dyrk!" Zavv offered.

"My name is not Dyrk, you worm." the kingpin scolded, "I think I know just what to do with you. By now, the B'omarr monks have learned of our presence, and have probably retreated into the attic spaces. I'm not exactly fond of them and their activities, but I am interested in their... spiritual methods."

"What are you talking about?" the doomed spice dealer asked.

"The monks remove the brains of sentients and place them in jars, to be kept alive much longer than if they were still in their bodies. They say it also helps you feel more at one with the universe, but only if you're open minded and willing to go with it. I have yet to see how it works when one is forced to have the procedure done on them against their will."

With that said, Zavv began to feel something he hadn't felt since he was a small child, fear. He began to tremble, and his eyes went wide.

Egon grinned at this display of emotion. "Wow, so he does have feelings! Not that it makes a difference, you know. No one will remember you, Zavv. Your little acts of terror have been very effective throughout Tatooine, but after I have dealt with you, they will mean nothing. Everyone will see where your little defiance got you, and they will fear me."

Zavv began to feel a mixture of fear and hatred. He tried, with all his might, to lash out and strike Egon, but his restraints were too tight.

Egon chucked devilishly at Zavv's feeble act of resistance. "You just don't get it, do you? You're a rabid dog, and you need to be put down. But don't feel so bad, you will have a legacy. You're the first subject of this forced brain removal technique, and if all goes well, if you survive and live in agony the way I intend, I'll use this as my standard capital punishment. That will be your lasting legacy, Jalil."

Two of Egon's guards began to carry Zavv away down the dark, maze-like corridors leading up to where the B'omarr monks were likely to be. Zavv kicked and screamed but it did no good.

"Oh, and guards!" Egon shouted, forcing the guards to stop, "Save the body when the procedure is complete. We can grind it up and use it as fertilizer for the juri garden."

And with that, the guards finally carried Zavv away to his inevitable fate. The numerous patrons cheered proudly, and Egon Tucker stepped out onto his balcony, and gazed out at the seemingly endless sand dunes. To the average observer, these dunes were lifeless, scorched wastelands, with nothing to offer but a slow, painful death. But to Egon, it was a planetary gold mine. He controlled the planet now, its citizens belonged to him, the humans, the Jawas, the Sand People, and even the Krayt dragons. His contacts stretched out all over the planet like a fibrous network, and he placed himself on top.

_This is what it feels like to be Emperor... _Egon thought as he slipped back into his new throne room.

**THE END**


End file.
